This week’s top stories in West TN

May 28, 2023

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Staff,

A lot has happened in West Tennessee this past week.

Let us take a look at all of the top stories this past week in West Tennessee.

Why Not Ministries is a nonprofit food ministry in Trenton that prepares freshly made food to those that are in need of a good meal. What began as a dream in 2019 quickly became an important part of the community. The community kitchen opened in September of 2022. Now, they serve about two thousand meals a month.

Jacob Dietrich, a Jackson native, was enjoying food at a nearby restaurant Sunday night with his friend, Cole McCorkle, a Lebanon resident and firefighter for Lebanon fire department when they witnessed a wreck. They immediately ran outside to discover that a man had wrecked his motorcycle.

McCorkle said the man was bleeding profusely and required a tourniquet. After applying the belt tourniquet, McCorkle said he then used the biker’s phone to talk to dispatch and relay information about the wound and the accident to the incoming EMS units. Officers thanked him and said because of his quick actions applying a tourniquet, he potentially saved the cyclist’s life.

R&B and Rock and Roll singer and beloved West Tennessean, Tina Turner, passed away in her home in Switzerland Wednesday after years of battling illness. She started her career as a singer when she became the lead for Ike Turner’s band, Kings of Rhythm. By the mid-70s, Turner had successfully launched a solo career. Throughout her career, she collected 12 Grammy awards, starred in multiple movies, and received a plethora of awards and achievements.

Every year, the Friday before Memorial Day, Parkers Crossroads invites everyone out for a Memorial Day ceremony. The ceremony is held in order to remember and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Many veterans and supporters of those who have served attended and engaged in the multiple traditions used to show respect to those who are missed, but not forgotten.

The Bufford Pusser Festival returned on Thursday. Buford Pusser was a legendary lawman who served as the sheriff of McNairy county, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1970. He was known for his tough stance against organized crime and corruption in the county, and his efforts to clean up the area made him a local hero.

Pusser’s life and career were the subject of the 1973 film “Walking tall,” which chronicled his battles against bootleggers, gambling rings, and other criminal elements. The festival has been going on for 35 years now with all kinds of activities for everyone to enjoy.